Automatic insulator.



NQ. 822,043. PATENTED' MAY 29, 1906. G. M. 002211,12. AUTOMATIC INSULATOR.

APPLIGATION IILED DEG.21, 1904.

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GATAN M. CORELL, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

AUTOMATIC INSU LATOR.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented May 29, ieee.

Application iled December 2l, 1904. Serial No. 237.805

T0 all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, GATAN M. CORELL, a citizen of France, and a resident of the city of New York, borough of Manhattan, in the county and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Automatic Insulator, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to automatic insulators and closers for electric circuits.

It is intended to be used especially in connection with line-wires carrying electric currents, and the object of the invention is to provide improved means for automatically cutting out the broken end of a tightlystrung conductor, such as a line-wire.

A further object of the invention has been to provide a circuit arrangement whereby the flow of current in its circuit may be uninterrupted although the circuit has been severed at any point.

Further objects of the invention will appear more fully hereinafter.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure 1 is a central section taken through one of my insulators and circuit-closers. Fig. 2 represents a portion of an electric circuit including several of my insulators and circuit-closers and illustrating the manner in which a circuit may be kept intact, although it is suddenly broken at some point. Like Fig. 1, the insulators or circuit-closers Fig. 3 is a diagrammatic view showing a portion of two circuits. In this view the going and returning wires are both shown.

Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 and 2 represent wires which extend oppositely from an insulator or circuit-closer 3, and it should be understood that these wires 1 and 2 are, as usual, strung upon poles or similar supports and are subjected to considerable tension. This tension of course exerts two forces tending to pull the insulator 3 in opposite directions, 'though they normally equalize each other, as will be readily understood, so that the insulator remains in equilibrium.

The body 4 of the insulator or circuitcloser is of substantially cylindrical form,

provided on its outer side with a longitudinally-disposed duct 5 for a purpose which will appear more fully hereinafter. This insulator is hollow within and provided, preferably, with a transversely-disposed diaphragm or head 6, centrally disposed, as indicated. The ends vof the insulator are closed by removable plugs 7, which may be attached by screw threads, as indicated. These plugs 7 have hollow cylindrical bodies 8, which proj ect into the interior of the insulator, but are of less diameter than the interior thereof, so as to present annular spaces 9 therebetween, as shown. Through the base of each plug an opening 10 is formed, and through these openings the wires 1 and 2, respectively, pass, as shown. At the outer extremities of the bores 11, which are formed in the tubular bodies of the plugs 7, the extremities of the conductor 12 are received, the body of the said conductor being disposed in the aforesaid conduit or duct 5. Within the bores 11 plungers 13 are arranged, and these plungers are preferably formed with enlarged heads 14, the diameters of these heads being vsubstantially the same as the interior diameter of the body 4. The extremities of the wires 1 and 2 are attached to contact-plates 15, which are normally held in contact with the conductor 12, so that circuit is normally closed between the wires 1 and 2 through the conductor, as will be readily understood.

In the annular spaces 9 aforesaid helical springs 16 are placed, as shown, and these springs thrust against the plugs 7 and against the heads 14 of the plungers 13. These springs are, however, not of sufficient strength to overbalance the tension in the wires, so that they are normally held in a compressed condition. If by accident either of the wires 1 or 2 becomes broken, it will be suddenly relieved of its tension, and when this occurs the corresponding spring will operate to drive the plunger with which it is-in contact against the head or Wall 6. In this way the broken wire would be disconnected at the insulator and circuit-closer from the rest of the circuit.

I provide a circuit arrangement whereby an electric circuit may be maintained substantially intact, although the same may have become broken at some point. To et'- fect this, I provide the devices 17 17, which are of the same general form as my insulator IOO 3. They are connected in circuit with wires 19, 20, and 21, which constitute a part of a main circuit.

Referring more particularly to the details of the devices 17, these are provided, like the device 3, with plugs 18, in which are mounted movable plungers 22 22a, said plungers being normally held in their outervextreme positions by A the tension in the wires, as stated above. In connection with the plungers, as before, spiral springs 23 are employed, which normally tend to force the plungers toward the central portion of the insulator-body. The bodies of the insulators 17 are provided with conductors 24, the extremities whereof lie adjacent to and normally close contact with contact-plates 25 25a, carried at the outer extremities of the plungers 22a, as indicated. Near themiddle portion of the insulators 17 the conductor 24 is provided with laterally-disposed broken branches or legs 26 26, When the plugs 22 Aoccupy their abnormal or innermost extreme position, contact-plates 27, which they carry at their inner extremities, are adapted to engage with these legs 26, so as to close the circuit therethrough in a manner which will appear more fully hereinafter. It should be understood that when the contacts 27 are removed from the legs 26 the metallic continuity through the legs is broken, so that they cannot transmit a current.

Parallel with the main circuit 28, which comprises the wires 19, 20, and 21, I arrange an auxiliary or reserve circuit 29, which comprisesv wires 30, 31, and 32. These'wires are connected by insulators or circuit-makers'33. As indicated, the construction of these devices 33 is substantially the same as that of the insulator 3, described above, with this exception, instead of a single conductor 12, such as used in the insulator 3, I provide two separate conductors 34 and 35. These are arranged, as shown, s`o that they come to the outer surface of the insulator-body at substantially the middle portion thereof and afford means at the extremities of the insulator for closing a circuit through contact-plates 36, carried upon the extremities of the plungers 37. With this arrangement there is no continuous metallic lconnection existing directly between the conductors 34 and 35. However, a continuous metallic connection may be -made between these conductors through the medium of wires 38 38a, which connect them, respectively, with the legs 26 26aL aforesaid, belonging to the conductors 24 ofthe devices 17.

It should be understood that when the circuit is intact under normal conditions the plungers 22a, which occupy the adjacent extremities of the insulators 17, will hold their contact-plates 25L against the corresponding extremities of the conductors 24, and with this arrangement evidently the wires 19, 20,

and 21 will be connected directly through the conductors 24, so that they constitute a portion of a continuous metallic circuit. If by any accident the wire 2O should become severed, the plungers 22awill be actuated by their springs, so as to move into the position in whichl they are represented in Fig. 2. When this occurs, a circuit will be closed through the legs 26a and through the wires 38a, conductors 35, and through the wire 31. Thus it will be seen that immediately upon the opening of the circuit between the devices 17 an auxiliary circuit is automatically substituted around the break. It will of course be understood also that while the main circuit 28 is intact the auxiliaryT circuit 29 is inactive and passes no current. In practice with such an arrangement as this the main circuit will not'be thrown completely out of use, and in case the circuit should be an electric-light circuit total darkness would not follow upon the break. I-Iowever, there would of course be for an instant a cessation of the current, which would constitute a signal, indicating that the circuit had been broken at somepoint.

In Fig. 3, 39 indicates the outgoing main circuit-wire, while 40 indicates the incoming main circuit-wire. Parallel with vthese the auxiliary circuit-wires 41 and 42 are installed, and these are connected at regular intervals by my insulators and circuit-closers 43. In practice it is desirable not to arrange the main circuit and auxiliary circuit upon the same supports or cross-trees. IIence the breaking of the main circuit would not necessarily include a break in the auxiliary or reserve circuit.

I-Iaving thus described my invention, I

`claim as new 'and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. In a device of the class described, in combination, an insulating-body of substantially cylindrical form, removable plugs seat ed in the extremities of said body, plungers slidably mounted in said plugs vsain body IOO having a longitudinally-disposed duct formed in the wall thereof and a conductor disposed in said duct and having laterally-disposed legs passinginto said plugs, contact-plates carried by said plungers and engaging said legs, springs pressing said plungers and linewires attached to said contactplates- 2. In a device of the class described, in combination,` an 4insulating-body, a conductor having legs with breaks therein and mounted within said body, movable plungers mounted within said body, contactplates carried thereby which may bridge said breaks, springs constraining said plungers in the direction of said legs, and other contactplates carried by said plungers and engaging said conductor at other points.

3. In a device of the class described, in combination, an insulating-body, a conduc- ISO 1o may bridge said breaks, and other oontaot plates carried at the opposite extremities of said plungers and engaging the extremities of said conductor.

In testimony whereof I nave signed my name to this speoiiioation in the presence of 15 tWo subscribing Witnesses. p

GAETAN M. CORELL.

Witnesses:

JNO. M. RITTER, F. D. AMMEN. 

